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DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> Event Photography - Photo Booths
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03/23/2014 07:08:15 PM · #1
I am considering an investment in a photo booth to enter the event photography market in order to earn some extra income. I wanted to get opinions from you all. Do you think the photo booth trend has run it's course? Has it hit a peak and is it ready to follow the downward death spiral? Or is there a good 4 or five years left in it before death? Any opinions are appreciated.

Thanks.
03/24/2014 12:47:06 AM · #2
i don't think they've completely run their course, but like most things in the photo business, they've become more of a commodity than a unique service, mainly due to people selling "photo booth kits" that lower the barriers to entry so much that almost anyone that wants to do it can.

keep in mind, there are a number of different expectations/definitions when it comes to photo booths. some people just want the kiosk box (like at the mall); there are companies that rent those for anywhere from $400-750. some are looking for no more than a two-light setup and a backdrop kit, with the photos available online. others want the whole nine yards - essentially a portable studio, complete with props and onsite printing of 4x6s, 5x7s, and even 8x10s.

there's a lot less overhead in an unattended automated service (like the kiosk). if you go the high end, keep in mind you are going to need help.

in the past 8 years, i've tried just about everything, sometimes more successfully (and profitable) than others. last year i handled a corporate birthday party that required a custom backdrop that could handle anywhere from 1 person to 20, red carpet portraits of all the guests as arrived, and on-site printing so that they could take a 5x7 home with them at the end of the evening. it took 4 people to manage the shooting and printing (greeter, shooter, editor, and print handler). it was good money, but we earned every penny of it.

i handle a small golf tournament every year that involves riding around the course for a couple hours, shooting between 20-30 flights, then heading back to the clubhouse to print off 4x6s of everyone before they all arrive back for the luncheon. thanks to my dye-sub printer, i can pretty much handle the whole thing by myself.

the worst experience i ever got into was shooting easter bunny portraits on spec at an easter festival. we were all set up (lights, custom backdrop, hay bales, two tents - one for shooting, one for processing & printing, computers, printers, everything), and after a slow start, BOOM! fast-moving thunderstorm and the event was called before it even had a chance to get going. netted barely enough to take my help to lunch.

so, to answer your question, yes, there is still money in event work, but i'd be careful about investing a lot in a photo-booth operation, especially if you want to make your money back quick. keep it simple (think a two-light and simple backdrop set up), and add printing equipment as you go. the main thing is to not get in over your head and commit to work that becomes either a nightmare, or doesn't pay.

pm me if you want any more details ;-)

otherwise, hth & good luck!
03/24/2014 11:16:29 AM · #3
I am also interested in the photo booth concept...sort of. Not so much the kiosk, but the portable studio with onsite printing.

I have a couple of questions for Skip or anybody who can offer advice:

What kind of dye-sub printer do you use/recommend? I have been looking at the DNP DS40 but now I am considering the less costly and only slightly slower DNP DS-RX1.

When you are doing larger events, how do you enable your subjects to view their photos to make their purchase selections? Do you just print everything, hang them up somewhere for people to browse through, or do you have some computers and monitors set up for people to browse through images?

How do you determine what to charge when it comes to events like the corporate birthday party that you mentioned in which the company is paying and the guests are receiving the photos of themselves? Do you have a flat fee and stop shooting and printing when you have reached the agreed upon number of prints or do you charge them afterward based on the number of prints?

Any other info that you think would be helpful for this type of photo booth or event shooting and printing onsite would be appreciated.

Thanks!
03/24/2014 01:08:50 PM · #4
@yak: i have both DNP DS40 & DS80. all in all, the prices on consumables aren't so much that i feel the need to add another printer to the lineup. i deal with christine at imaging spectrum.

when i do this type of shoot, it's typically in three flavors:
1) the client has paid for the service and i print my best shot (no one gets any choices)

2) i shoot, process, and display through darkroom core (however, they also have photo-booth specific software). while the subject gets to pick, they have to do it on the spot.

3) i shoot and put them online for people to buy digital downloads.

i've never done the cruise-ship model of shooting, printing, then hoping someone will stop back by and purchase something.

as for fees, there are a number of factors to take into consideration. the biggest ones are how many people are you going to need and how many photos are you going to shoot? i try to work with the client to come up with a reasonable maximum, then we establish an overage range. for example, i'll charge you xxxx.xx to shoot and make up to 250 prints; after that, 1-25 will be at xx/ea, 26-100 will b a xx/ea, and so on. a couple hours for a greeter and print handler might cost me $25/ea, and an editor might cost me $50-100, and a shooter $150-300 (even though they for the most part only have to say "look here and smile", they typically do have to interact with the subject(s), as well as arrange groups of 2, 3, 4, 5+ people (including whiny kids)).

it also depends on what else you are going to be doing. i've had some situations where i've done nothing but the portraits and others where i've done the portraits and the event and the event has required having anywhere from 2-3 shooters.

lastly, i never stop shooting ;-) we *may* have to stop printing because of time limitations, but as long as we can keep the backdrop up, we'll keep on shooting.

03/24/2014 01:48:16 PM · #5
Thanks a lot for that info.

I plan to take a look at some printers in person tomorrow. For a specific event that a friend of mine and I have in mind later this year I think that we will need two printers. At first I was thinking the same thing: one each of the DS40 and the DS80, but two RX1's would cost half as much. Obviously, the advantage of the DS80 is being able to print 8x10's. Do you find that you have events for which 8x10's are a popular product?
03/24/2014 02:11:35 PM · #6
Skip you never cease to amaze me
03/24/2014 07:35:14 PM · #7
Thank you for the detailed info Skip. Kind of a lot more to think about than I originally thought...
03/24/2014 11:21:22 PM · #8
@ed: you're welcome! yeah, nothing's ever as easy as it looks. the key is not getting sucked by anything the looks too promising.

@tangy: LOL

@yak: the most popular item for me to print, by far, is a 5x7. i bought the DS80 a few years ago because i was going to be printing the full range (5x7, 8x10, and 8x12), and i could drop 2 5x7s onto a single sheet. i got the DS40 when a client wanted only 5x7s and i didn't feel like having to print 8x10s and cut them down. i don't know anything about the RX1. one thing to consider is renting a unit, especially aren't sure how much use you'll get out of it.
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